Featured in the New York Times a new sewage treatment plant in Orange County, California, reveals the latest in water technologies. Using processes such as microfiltration and reverse osmosis, the Orange County Groundwater Replenishment System converts the county’s sewage back into drinking water. As it turns out, the end product is cleaner than water found naturally in waterways.

Orange County, facing severe water shortages, now has an alternative source from which to slake its thirst. And while it took a decade to overcome psychological resistance to wastewater consumption, dry conditions and consistent efforts to educate the public have facilitated the project’s success.

“The days are over when we can consider wastewater a liability,” Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, told the New York Times. “It’s an asset. And that means figuring out how best to use it.”